True Colours
by atoumatoutou
Summary: Art School AU. When Will first asked him for a favor, Nico didn't think much about it. Never would he have thought that it would involve staying in the most uncomfortable position possible for hours. And much less the embarrassment that resulted from their awkward interaction. From Nico's POV.


He knew he must keep very still while he waited, but that itch was agonizing.

_What on earth is he doing? _Nico wondered, resisting the urge to move and scratch his nose.

When Will called him over and asked him for a favor, he didn't think much about it. Never would he have thought that "a favor" involved staying in the most uncomfortable position possible for hours.

"It's an assignment for Art," Will simply said when Nico complained. "Please?" he begged, pouting.

Nico rolled his eyes and sighed, "Fine. Anything for a..." he hesitated. _What were they?_ "… friend_._"

"Great, thanks!"

Soon enough, Nico was knocking at Will's door. The latter opened the door, a smile plastered on his face. "Hey, come in!" he said, welcoming his guest inside.

When Nico entered the studio, he was assaulted by the smell of paint. His first thought was, _There is _no_ way this isn't toxic_.How could anyone survive more than a few minutes into such a place? Then he looked around, and saw that there was artwork all over the place: paintings, drawings, and even a few sculptures. Nico had to watch his step to make sure his foot didn't end up soaking in paint or crushing tools. He kept on walking carefully over the wooden floor until he reached the back of the room. A beam of light broke through a single large window, and we could hear many cars engaging the busy streets.

"Now, stand there," Will pointed to a small platform in the middle of the room.

Nico obeyed. Will studied him for a few seconds – a little too long for Nico's comfort – then turned around and said, "I'm going to get my stuff, I'll be right back. Don't move," he instructed. Then he left the room, leaving Nico all alone.

And so here was the boy, standing awkwardly in the middle of a messy studio, wondering why the hell he agreed to this. And, most importantly, suffering in silence because of that horrible tingling all over his face.

Finally, Will was back, arms full of his art supplies. Nico scowled at him while he set his canvas on his easel and took out his brushes and paint.

Will finished withdrawing his material and looked up at his model. What he found caused him to jump in shock.

"Nico, are you all right?" Will asked, worried. "You look like you're in pain."

Nico, still not moving, answered, "I've wanted to scratch my nose for ages, but you told me not to move…"

Will slapped his forehead. Nico didn't like where this was going.

"Well, scratch yourself!" Will told him, which is exactly what Nico proceeded to do furiously. Will chuckled. "I didn't actually mean for you not to move at all, silly!"

Nico straigtened, a little embarrassed at his mistake. Will raised his hand to his chin and studied Nico for a while, making the latter flush a little. After a few moments, Will moved forward and placed his hands on Nico's shoulders. Nico tensed at the gesture.

"Relax," Will said. "I just want to place you in the right pose." Nico's stance loosened.

Will turned him slightly to the left. "Better," commented the artist. Nico was starting to be at ease. _Trust Will, _he told himself, _relax._

Just when he thought the session wouldn't be that bad after all, Will spoke up.

"Would you mind taking off your jacket?" Will requested casually.

Nico was taken aback. "Wait, what?" he blubbered.

"I'd like to see your arms," Will explained. "It will allow me to reproduce your muscle. I'd rather study your anatomy than the fabric of your clothes."

Nico's eyes widened; he was unable to believe Will had actually uttered that last sentence. Then realization grew on the latter's face.

"Oh gods, that's not what I meant," he clarified, his face bright red. "Um…"

"Sure, I'll take it off," Nico answered suddenly, trying his best to ignore what had just happened. He thought that if the situation got even more awkward he would die of embarrassment. And so he proceeded to remove his jacket.

Ages passed and the piece of clothing was finally off. Nico let it fall on the ground and tried his best to recover the position Will had put him in. Will studied Nico again, and shook his head. This made Nico a little nervous.

"How about you bend your arm over your shoulder, like that?" Will suggested, guiding Nico through the pose. "That way I'll be able to observe your triceps, too. Sounds good?"

"I… I guess," replied Nico, thinking that his opinion didn't really matter.

"Perfect," Will declared before going back to his easel.

Will then started painting. Nico glanced sideways to observe Will. The "model" couldn't help but admire the way his "friend" completely lost himself in the task. His brow creased in concentration, and he would put the brush between his teeth when stopping to study the painting. Nico's gaze surveyed Will's shoulder-length golden locks, then lowered to the other's bright blue eyes; they were sparkling with passion. Then, Nico's eyes drifted to the artist's delicate hands, and he studied the way his long fingers held the brush and smoothly directed every flick.

But suddenly the movements were interrupted. Nico didn't quite understand why Will stopped. So he looked up, only to find out that the other boy was staring at him, eyebrows raised and mouth slightly gaping. Nico blushed furiously, embarrassed at being caught. He quickly looked away.

However, when he looked in Will's direction again, he saw the boy hadn't moved at all. He was so inert a stranger could have entered the studio and mistaken him for the model, if it weren't for the brush in his hand and the canvas in front of him.

"Will?" Nico called after a moment.

That was enough to shake him out of his torpor. "What?" he asked, confused. "Oh, right," he said, as if just remembering what they were doing here.

Will went back to his work while Nico purposefully avoided looking at him.

Only a few minutes later Will sighed in contempt and exclaimed, "Done!"

Nico's threw his arm down. His whole body exhaled, free of all constrain.

For a while, neither of the boys knew what to say. Nico looked down and tapped his foot while Will played with his fingers.

Nico was the first to speak up. "Can I see the painting, then?"

Will looked up at him and shook his head. "Not yet. I still have a few details to work on before I can show it to anybody."

"Oh, okay," Nico answered, disappointment in his voice.

Again, silence.

"So," Will started, "I owe you one. Thanks."

"No problem," Nico replied. "I'll know who I'll come up to when I need something."

Will opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated. Nico raised his eyebrows to prompt him.

"Well… You know, you don't have to wait until you need something to come at me. Just, if you want to talk sometime, or if you're bored, or anything… Hit me up, okay?"

Will's nervous manner made Nico smile. "Okay," he answered simply.

Nico scooped his jacket from the floor and went for the door. He opened it, and turned around.

"Hey, Will?" he called.

The blond boy looked up from his material. "Yeah?"

"See you later," he said.

It was Will's turn to smile. "Yeah, cool. Bye, Nico."

The boy stepped out and closed the door behind him, knowing he would come back soon.


End file.
